This section is intended to introduce the reader to various aspects of art that may be related to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure. This discussion is believed to be helpful in providing the reader with background information to facilitate a better understanding of the present disclosure. Accordingly, it should be understood that these statements are to be read in this light, and not as admissions of prior art.
So called wet-mate or wet-mateable connectors are used in underwater applications to make a connection, such as an electrical or optical connection, in an environment that may be hostile to the electrical or optical transmission, for example in sea water, and may require special protection for the components that complete the connection. One example of an application may be an electrical or optical connection that must be made in a harsh underwater environment, such as within or through a wellhead in a subsea oil well.
After assembly of the wellhead on the seabed, control cables may be connected to sensors and other electrical equipment associated with the wellhead. A connector may include two connectable parts, such as a receptacle component (e.g., female component) and a plug component (e.g., male component), with the plug component insertable into or mateable with the receptacle component. Each component may include an electrical contact to establish an electrical connection therebetween, in which the electrical contacts are typically provided with a protective apparatus for shielding from the surrounding sea water, thereby preserving the integrity of the connector and the electrical connection when subsequently made.
The receptacle component may house a male connecting/contact pin, and the plug component may house the complementary female contact socket. Each of the receptacle and plug components is attached by a suitable termination means to respective electrical cables or wires (i.e., lines). In use, the receptacle component receives the plug component with the male pin penetrating and making an electrical connection with the female contact socket. Various designs exist in which there may be a single male pin engaging with a single contact module, or else a plurality of male pins and respective contact modules.
Electrical connectors may be used to prevent the electrical contacts from being exposed to sea water and other harmful matter, such as oil and drilling fluid for example. Maintaining a good seal around the electrical contacts may be necessary for long periods. Further, wellheads are frequently located at great depths, and wellhead connections are becoming more complex with increasing requirements for monitoring and control equipment. As such, the space available for connectors of the kind described above becomes reduced, and thus the need for more compact connectors increases.